What to Watch for Tonight

8/30/2012 New York Jets @ Philadelphia Eagles

The fourth preseason game is an interesting one.  Many think that, at this point, the starters will all sit and therefore the game is completely meaningless.  Let me tell you how meaningful this game actually is.

-          For 22 players, this game will be the last in Eagles Green. Come Friday afternoon 22 players will be cut in order to meet the NFL limit of 53 men on the roster.

-          Many of these “no-namers” could see starting time come mid-season when starters face injuries.

-          The special teams unit is always made of, primarily, 2^nd and 3^rd string players.  When the Browns run a punt back 40 yards or a Kick off gets brought back to the 9 yard line on a holding penalty, remember how “meaningless” the fourth preseason game was.

So be careful before you say that this fourth preseason game doesn’t matter. 

I want to point out a few things to watch for tonight.

1.       Demetress Bell – Bell is playing tonight with starting LT King Dunlap having the night off.  The Eagles are still looking to fill the shoes of all pro LT Jason Peters, who will miss the entire season due to a torn Achilles.  Will Demetress be able to fight back and gain that starting job? Will he play so poorly that the Eagles decide his contract isn’t worth it? These are things to watch for tonight.  I would be surprised if he were to get cut, but crazy Andy has done crazier things.

2.       Defensive Line – I am not jealous of the coaching staff when it comes down to making cuts, especially on the defensive line.  The D-Line is as stacked as it has even been and any player cut will likely have little issue finding a team elsewhere.  Tonight will be the last chance for these guys to show what they are made of. Keep an eye out for Antonio Dixon, who may be beaten out by surprising rookie, Cedric Thornton. The Eagles will likely keep 10 players on the line, but there are 14 players fighting for those spots.  It will be interesting to see who shows up for tonight’s game.  

3.       Nick Foles- Well I haven’t been able to post without including Foles in the picture.  I am still waiting to see the rookie moments that are expected out of a third round draft pick.  Can Nick start this game and continue to look strong as the Eagles back up? Meanwhile Trent Edwards will be playing for a spot as the QB3 while Mike Kafka remains sidelined with a fracture in his non-throwing hand.

4.       Akeem Jordan – Akeem is back to the Weakside LB position (where he started his career with the Eagles) and tonight will get up to a quarter of action as he continues to transition from the strong side back to the weak. Rookie LB, Mychael Kendricks has been the best linebacker on the team this preseason and will be starting opposite Akeem come opening week.  I am interested to see how Jordan plays tonight and see if the Eagles LBs will have another season of mediocrity.

What not to watch for:
  1. Tim Tebow - No one cares anymore. Tebow is a below average QB and only help he will provide to the the Jets, is the ability to go TD-less in the preseason. Screew you Tebow.

Eagles win big but the Jets get their first touchdown of the preseason. Eagles 24 Jets 10.  

What to Watch For Eagles @ Browns 7:30

Don’t expect to see much from the starters on either side tonight.  We will be seeing these teams square up again two weeks from now and neither team is going to want to show their opponents their game plan.

The Browns are an improving team that plays in a tough division.  They are all in on the offensive side of the ball this season- using 2 first round picks on QB Brandon Weeden and RB Trent Richardson.  The Eagles pass rush should give Weeden or ex starting QB Colt McCoy a tough time tonight. I think we will see 3+ sacks from the Eagles D line.  Richardson will remain on the sideline hoping to be ready to go for the start of the season. Just because it’s going to be a wash game, does not mean there isn’t plenty to watch for. I am going to comment on just a few of them.

Nick Foles

Nick will get the start tonight and get up to a half of snaps, as Mike Kafka is still out with an injured hand. Foles has looked great in the first two games, throwing for a combined 331 yards and 4 TDs.  Foles has completed 63.15% of his passes and is leading the league in preseason passer rating through the first 2 games. He has looked strong, confident and poised in the pocket, all things that former Eagles QB, and current Cardinals QB, Kevin Kolb has not. Each time Vick takes off, heading for the End Zone on third down, Eagles fans will be praying that Nick Foles can be the strong, pocket passer, that we will need step in if Vick cracks another rib.  

Eagles Backup RBs

I am interested to see if the Eagles give some of their young RBs a big workload tonight. The Browns ranked 30^th in run defense last year and used their 1^st round picks on offense in the 2012 Draft.  It seems like it is going to be a long season for the Browns Defense- the Eagles should have no problem on the ground tonight. Look for a nice mix of 2^nd year guy, Dion Lewis, rookie RB Bryce Brown, and undrafted rookie RB Chris Polk. With Shady in the starting spot, it seems like Lewis with be the RB2 – but will the Eagles keep 4 backs on the 53 man roster? The talent and potential is there and all four of these guys will make the team, but what will the depth chart look like come September 9^th.

Special Teams

As with any team, the special teams are crucial to the Eagles success. It is essential to many of the guys on this roster and whether or not they will have a job come September 9^th. Don’t be surprised to see the Eagles punting on 4^th and inches (not that you should ever be surprised about that as an Eagles fan!), and kick returns coming from 6 yards deep in the end zone. Another player to watch is 2^nd year safety Jaiquawn Jarrett.  Jarrett, a local guy from Temple, was selected in the second round of the 2011 Draft to be one of the many players who would replace Eagles Hall of Fame Safety Brian Dawkins. Thus far he has come up very short of expectations and is now at risk of being cut after just one year in the NFL. Look for him to get some action at Safety and in the Special teams as he continues to seek out a place where he fits in on this roster.

Demetress Bell vs. King Dunlap    

 Who will win over the start Left Tackle job protecting Mike Vick’s strong side? This is an ongoing battle through camp and it will be interesting to see who wins the starting job with All Pro LT Jason Peters likely being out with a torn Achilles.  I think that Bell will ultimately get the starting job but Dunlap isn’t going down without a fight. Tomorrow morning will have a much clearer answer. 

Prediction:

Eagles win big 27-10 setting the tone for Week 1.